


The Future Without Him

by TMNTLovingLeo



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 07:10:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13829103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMNTLovingLeo/pseuds/TMNTLovingLeo





	1. Prologue

He woke up in an alley. He knew it was the alley next to April's apartment, because it had that same marking on the building that no one except him and his brothers noticed.

But it looked... cleaner?

Rubbing his head, he stood up, looking around. He sighed and went to a rooftop. It was daytime, so he couldn't be spotted.

What he saw shocked him. There were aliens, mutants, such as Triceratons and D'Hoonibbians, and Utroms, to name a few. He couldn't place a lot of them. Some of Jhanna's race were among them, he was sure.

"LH?!"

He jumped down the fire escape and hastily made his way to his old friend. The crocodile seemed to have hardly aged, but there were distinct differences. "My friend?!" the crocodile asked, breaking out into a grin. "It has been so long!" he exclaimed, giving the ninja a bone-crushing hug. "We thought you dead!"

"Um - can't - BREATHE!"

LH smiled sheepishly. "Come. We shall go to my apartment. We have much to talk about."

As the walked, the turtle whistled. "No kiddin', man. How are there aliens and mutants walkin' around the streets without guys like Bishop or the government kidnappin' them and experimenting on them?!"

"There was a law passed, by Bishop himself, actually. All humanoid mutants could walk freely, along with non-hostile aliens, in the streets. Anyone with hostile feelings toward the mutants or aliens are to take it up with the Utrom High Council, who are in charge of the prisons and those who cannot find their place on the Earth."

They reached the small yet luxurious pad, and the turtle whistled again. "Man, LH! How'd you get this?!"

"I have received a few degrees in colleges and gotten a job in Jones Tech.* They pay well."

The ninja smiled and sat on the three cushion couch, looking at the two love-seats across from it. "Man, LH! Ya got kids and a lady?" he asked, raising his eyebrows up and down with a big grin.

LH blushed as he poured some quick tea, and the ninja realized he had voiced the command to a machine and had gotten it. "Cool!" the ninja smiled.

"No, I do not have 'a lady', my friend. I have guests sometimes, such as April and Casey and 7-year-old Shadow Jones, and-"

"April and Casey are married?! Awesome! I knew it!"

LH sighed with a fond smile. "And your brothers sometimes visit me, as well. And then there is Professor Honeycutt-"

"Wait, how are my brothers doing? Raph's probably in prison, right? How about Leo? He has his own dojo?"

"Let me rephrase that, my friend: one of your brothers visits my apartment. Donatello."

Mikey nearly dropped his cup, his hands shook so hard. "W-What? What about Raph and Leo?"

"Donatello works at Jones Tech with me and April; he is married to Jhanna. I believe you have met her."

"And Raph?"

"Raphael has gone the wrong way, I'm afraid. He is now leader of the Black Chains, a name he did not pick, I assure you. They are a gang of... well, basically, they are dishonorable ninja, mare ruthless than the Foot Clan, doing things such as using guns. I do see him sometimes, but it is mostly to release him from prison."

"Man. Welp, I knew it. And Leo?"

Leatherhead sighed. "You have been gone for 15 years, my friend. Much has transpired."

"AND?!"

"Your brother is in a mental asylum, Michelangelo."

Mikey dropped his cup this time, hardly hearing the shatter as it spread all over the room quite rudely. "Wh- Huh..."

Leatherhead sighed again. "Clean, computer."

"Yes, Leatherhead," a robotic voice answered back. Out of a little compartment in the wall, a small vacuum started cleaning up the cup parts.

"H-How?" Mikey finally manage to ask. "Leo's the most level-headed, sane guy I know. What could possibly have happened between him and Raph this time that he as put into a mental asylum?" he continued shakily, tear making their way into his eyes.

"A few days before you disappeared, Donatello told me, Leonardo and Raphael had a very bad argument. There were hateful words exchanged, all out of anger, and Raphael stormed out."

Mikey was starting to put the fuzzy puzzle pieces together.

"And then you came out and asked him-"

"If he wanted to spar with me..." Mikey muttered.

"He declined heatedly, going so far as to shove you. You stormed to your room, and you were a bit cold to your brothers for the next few days, not even talking to Leonardo. He blamed - and still blames - himself for your disappearance, Michelangelo, and went insane in his guilt. Donatello was finally forced to put him in a white, padded room to keep him from hurting others or himself. He is able to leave whenever he wants, but he chooses not to," LH finished.

Mikey buried his face in his hands. "I didn't mean to. I went out to blow off some steam at April's and ended up getting pushed into... something, in the alley, and then I woke up to all of this!" he exclaimed, sweeping his arms around himself. "I was gonna come back the next morning!

"...Where can I find them?!"

* * *

Mikey made his way into Jones Tech, using the address Leatherhead had given him, and looked at Casey, who was at the front desk. "Case?"

The bored-looking man looked up, and a big grin split his face. "Mikey?! Oh, man, it's been 15 years!" he exclaimed, disregarding his post and giving Mikey yet another bone-crushing hug.

"Casey... I like... breathing..."

Casey let his old friend go. "Man, Mike! Where ya been? It's been a decade and a half!"

"I don't know, Casey. I really need to talk to Don, though. Can you tell me how to get to him?"

"Uh, yeah. If ya had chucks, I'd have ta take 'em offa ya, but..."

Mikey felt his belt. "No surprise there. C'mon! From what I've heard, I haven't seen my brother in 15 years!"

"Awright, awright!" Casey pressed a button. "Visitor for Hamato." The elevator opened, and Mikey strolled in, giving Casey a smile as the door closed.

The sea-green turtle was surprised at how high the elevator could go. And so  _fast_! He was at the top floor in less than ten seconds!

When the door opened, he smiled at his brother, who glanced at him for a split second, then did a double-take. "Mike?!"

The younger turtle smiled. "Hey, bro. How's it been?"

Don shot up from his work and gave his brother a big hug. "Too... many... hugs!" Mikey choked out.

Don released him, a big, goofy grin on his face, the big glasses on his eyes weren't helping Mikey stifle his laugh. "Dude! What up with the glasses?!"

"Too much staring at a computer screen after YOU disappeared! Where the hell have you been, Mikey? We were worried sick!"

"I heard. Raph's leading a gang now?"

Don bit his lip, turning away. "You heard about the guys?"

"Hell yeah! What's up with that?!"

Don crossed his arms unconsciously, looking at his invention. "They snapped, I guess. You're the glue that keeps us together, bro. When you disappeared, we were all hurt deeply. But the past is past, and you're back!"

"That's the problem, Don. I need to get back to my time.  _This_ ," he gestured to his note-card with asylum and old warehouse addresses, "can't happen! I'm fine with us being able to walk the streets - thrilled! - but Leo can't be in an asylum and Raph can't run a bunch of ninjas with guns! I need to get back!"

"Well, if you want to get home, we need to know how you got here-"

"Mikey!"

"I need to breathe!" Mikey exclaimed as April ran up to him. April gave him a light hug at the warning, and Mikey hugged her back with a smile. "Hey, April  _Jones_ ," he teased.

April smiled. "Yep. You heard?"

"LH told me."

April nodded, and then frowned. She grabbed Mikey's shoulders. "You've been gone for 15 years!"

"I've been trying to figure that out, Ape. From what I can hardly remember, I was in a fight with a couple of Bishops lackeys in the alley next to your apartment, and then they pushed me into this weird blue thing. It's fuzzy."

"Does a shape come up?" Don asked, taking out his enlarged Shell Cell and ready to type.

"...Circle...?"

"Probably some kind of portal. Bishop is still in charge of EPF, so you need permission to speak with him. I think he and Raph are good buddies, more than likely because Raph is pretty much his lapdog."

"Wh-Huh?" Mikey asked with a frown.

"Raph and Bishop made some kind of agreement about a decade back. Bishop makes sure mutants and aliens can walk the street and stops experimenting on living things, and Raph gets him any supplies he needs for his still-going experiments and I'm pretty sure he's got a cocaine addiction. But you didn't hear that from me," April explained, putting her hands up after the last sentence.

"...I need to talk to Raph. Now. It's been great seeing you guys, but I need to see the guys. Bye!" Mikey waved and left, leaving Don and April to glance concernedly at each other.

* * *

"Yo, boss. Ya got a visitor. asked ta personally see ya."

Raph looked up from his computer. He was searching for a certain hard to find chemical for Bishop. He snarled and turned around. "Make it quick."

Mikey smiled. "Hey bro. Been a while, huh?"

Raph did a double-take. "Mikey?!"

Mikey didn't even try to breathe as Raph squeezed him as tightly as he was sure was possible. "You got big," he stated simply when Raph let go.

"Mikey, it's been 15 years! Where ya been?!"

The gang member that had escorted Mikey in shuffled out, keeping others out as well.

"Listen Raph, I don't know where I was. I fell into a weird thing in April's alley and ended up 15 years in the future. After you I'm visiting Leo to see what the hell exactly is wrong with him?" the orange-clad yelled/demanded, confusing himself at the sentence switch momentarily.

Raph growled and poked his plastron. "Don't ya  _eva_ mention dat bastard in front'a me," he hissed lowly; threateningly.

Mikey gulped. He nodded shakily.

Raph sighed, stepping back a little bit. "I'm sorry, Mike. My anga's a little harda ta control now," he apologized.

Mikey glanced at the floor, and saw a needle laying next to a discarded but non-damaged Shell Cell. "No wonder." He reached down, picking one up. "You're on steroids!"

The now 6-foot turtle swiped the needle back. "It dun matta! Masta Splinta ain't here ta tell me not ta!"

The orange-clad ninja gasped. "Where's Master Splinter?" he asked in a voice little more than a squeak.

Raph sighed, hanging his head. "He died'a pneumonia about a year afta ya disappeared. He died peacefully."

Mikey choked out a sob. "N-No!"

"I'm sorry, Mike," Raph sighed, giving his brother a more gentle hug, trying to be comforting.

Mike fell to his knees, falling from Raph's grip as he sobbed into his hands. "M-Master Splinter!" he cried.

* * *

After Mike had finally calmed down, he bid his brother goodbye and left, wiping his eyes to clear them of any evidence of his crying. He caught a bus with some borrowed money from LH and got off a few blocks from the asylum. He was glad that the city itself still had the same street names.

He walked quietly into the asylum. He met a green female alien with red, stuck up hair. "State your business," she said boredly.

"I wish to visit my brother, Leonardo," Mikey said as formally as he could.

"Please sign these papers and state your name so I can print you a tag," she handed the ninja some papers, and Mike sighed.

"I hate paperwork..."

* * *

When he was finally done with the homework, as he'd thought of it, he had the tag pinned to his belt and walked to the room he'd been directed to. He looked in the small window in the unlocked door and saw a figure a few feet form the corner of the room, shell facing him, Shell Cell discarded in the other corner. He cautiously opened the door, but the turtle before him didn't respond.

"Leo? It's me, your brother," Mikey said in a normal, non-threatening tone.

"No...such...thing," Leo muttered.

(BTW, this is kinda based off of a  _Teen Titans_  episode:  _How Long is Forever?_ )

"Please, bro, I-"

"Just another figment..." Leo said, still not moving. 'Don't even look. Maybe it'll go away..."

"C'mon bro, listen to me!" Mike tried again. "I'm here 'cuz-"

"He's never coming back!" Leo screamed at...something. "Go away!"

He walked away quickly from Mikey. "It has to go away... Just like he did before. Just like all the others..."

Mikey gulped. "Your mind." He approached his brother slowly. "Without any light in your life you must have-"

Next thing he knew, Leo was on top of him, hands wrapped around his throat. He glared down at him with crazed, unseeing eyes. "Get... out... of my... head," he hissed threateningly.

"It's me, Leo," Mikey tried against hope, but Leo squeezed harder, making Mikey gasped for breath.

"L-Leave..." Leo said in a shaky voice unnatural to his usually calm and  _sane_ demeanor in Mikey's eyes.

"O-OK, Leo," the latter rasped, lips turning blue.

Leo let go, mask-less eyes scanning him still as he stood up. He turned away from Mikey and sighed, arms crossed.

Mikey bit his lip and left, tears streaming down his face silently.

He needed to get back to his time.

_Now._

_(*April is married to Casey so I don't get why it'd be called O'Neil Tech!)_


	2. Pt. 2

Mikey was escorted into Raph's place once again, making the 6-foot turtle smile. "Hey bro. What'cah need?"

"What the hell happened between you and Leo that sent him off the deep end?!" Mike demanded as the gang member left.

"I dun wanna talk 'bout it, Mike!" Raph yelled, a snarl on his face as he turned away, crossing his arms. He heard a step, and whirled back around, ready to fight, when he realized that Mike was about 2 inches away from him.

He didn't have time to block the blow, and then he was on the ground and his own sai was at his throat. "Tell me," Mike demanded as it drew blood.

"Afta ya left, we got inta anotha argument and I said a few things I'm not proud'a."

"What. Did. You. Say."

"I said it was his fault ya left," Raph squeaked, never having felt this vulnerable in his life.

Mike stuck the sai in Raph's plastron, not drawing blood, but making it hurt. He stood up. "Why?"

Raph took the sai out and stood out. "Cuz it was! He's da one who was mean ta ya! He's da one dat shoved ya away! It was all his fault!"

Mike crossed his arms. "Last I checked, you started the argument! You were the one that stormed out of the Lair because you were too big of a coward to face what you did!" he retorted.

Raph took a step back. "Y'know what, ya smart-ass? Get out. Get out of my place. Right now. Go rant ta Don or Leatherhead. Not me," he growled, voice dripping with venom.

Mike spat on his brother's foot. "I wasn't planning on staying!"

Raph growled as his little brother left. He then sat on his chair and put his head in his left hand, tears streaming down his face.

Mikey stormed out of his brother's place, leaning against the wall. So much for getting his brother to help him find Bishop. That was the reason he'd gone there in the first place!

He sighed. Maybe he could ask for permission himself.

Mikey finally found the building that Bishop resided in during work hours and climbed up the side of the building. Fuck asking. He'd done enough paperwork today already. He used a small knife and cut the window, stealthily hopping through the hole he'd made without disturbing anything.

Bishop looked the same as he had 15 years ago. "Raphael, do you finally have my-"

"Wrong turtle, dude."

Bishop nearly jumped out of his artificial body. "Michelangelo! It's been 15 years!"

'My time machine worked!'

"Yeah, thanks to you! What did your guys do to me! Why am stuck here! Why can't I get back home?!"

Bishop aimed a gun at the orange-clad turtle. "Watch your mouth, mutant."

Mikey growled. "So it's all been an act? Letting mutants walk around, it's all an act to get people to trust you!"

Bishop chuckled darkly. "You caught on fast, Michelangelo."

Mikey slowly put his hands behind his back, not even Bishop noticing. He pressed a button on his Shell Cell, hoping his brothers would answer. He was sure the tracker was on.

Bishop didn't move.

Neither did Mikey.

For 10 minutes, they just stood there. Mikey slowly put his hands up. Bishop smiled. "You surrender?"

"Hell, no! I just needed a distraction to do this!" Mikey grinned, lunging at Bishop and punching him in the face. The man growled and dodged the next blow, kicking Mikey in the chest.

The orange-clad turtle went down with an 'oof!' as Bishop stepped on his plastron. He gulped.

Don nearly jumped out of his shell as his Shell Cell started beeping. Weird. Raph never called him. He picked it up, and his eyes bulged when he saw the distress signal and an orange dot.

"He just got here! How can he already be in trouble?"

Raph spit out his small beer in surprise as his Shell Cell started to ring. He grabbed it and did a double-take when he saw the distress signal and the orange blip.

Leo shut his eyes and covered his ears as his Shell Cell rang. "No, no... Just another hallucination."

It continued. He turned to it slowly, watching as it continued to shake and beep. He walked over to it and picked it up. The distress signal and orange blip peaked his interest.

This was just another dream, right? He'd fallen asleep!

He put the cell back down and walked away from it, mind reeling.

Mikey kicked Bishop off of himself, wishing not for the first time that he had his nunchucks. He remembered losing them in the fight before getting pushed into the portal. He dodged the laser that was shot at him, repeating this action more than once. Bishop lunged at him and was about to get a good hit in when he was suddenly knocked across the room by a big, hulking figure.

Mike smiled. "Raph!"

"Hey, li'l bro. Why din't ya invite me ta da parteh?"

Bishop shook with rage. "You little-!"

A staff wacked him in the stomach, making him fall again.

"Don!"

The said genius smiled. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine, really!" Mike smiled, glad his brother had shown up at all.

Bishop was shaking with rage now. "You puny reptiles! I will destroy you all!" he screamed, pointing his gun at them. Mikey covered his face with his hands as Raph stood in front of him and Don.

There was a quick SHING, and the gun was cut in half and Bishop was seemingly unconscious on the floor, a two-toed foot on his chest and a blade at his neck.

"No one... hurts... my family," Leo seethed.

"Leo!" Mikey exclaimed with a smile, running to hug his brother. Leo hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, Mike," he whispered, tears running down his pale face.

Bishop's eyes opened, and he smirked, taking the opportunity to get off the floor and grab another, bigger, gun. He aimed it at the turtles. "While I absolutely love family reunions, I'm afraid you'll all have to be seen out. Of this life!" he exclaimed, shooting.

Leo blocked the laser with his katanas, sending it back at Bishop, who didn't react in time and was struck in the chest. He gasped as blood came out his mouth.

"I'll get you... turtles!" he rasped, then went limp, taking his last breath.

Don patted his eldest brother on the back. "Good to see ya, bro!" he smiled. Leo smiled back, but it slowly disappeared as he saw Raph.

The hothead walked toward him, and, to everyone's surprise, gave his brother a bone-cracking hug. Leo hesitated for a second, then smiled again and hugged hisbrother back, tears coming to his eyes again. When the hug broke, though, he simply said, "You got big."

"That's what I said!" Mikey exclaimed.

Don chuckled at the exchange. "OK, this is great and all, but i found a way to get Mikey home?"

Mikey's grin split his face in two. "Really?! Wow, that's great! C'mon!"

The brothers all gathered in the Jones Tech, where Don fired up the portal. "Alright, I can only keep it open for a minute! You have to hurry!"

Mikey was about to go in, but he looked back at his family. "Does this really have to happen? That we drift apart like this?" he asked sadly, the joy from their previous victory having faded as he looked over his brothers once more.

Leo was pale and malnourished from being in that padded room with no sunlight and not eating all his meals, as he'd been informed by the lady at the desk. Raph was practically a ticking time bomb, steroids in his system and making him huge. He'd seen the side effects of steroids; they weren't good. Don was isolated, probably losing himself in his work still and hardly eating, from how skinny he was.

Leo sighed and crossed his arms. "There's no time, Mikey."

Mikey sighed. "I'll fix this, guys. I promise."

With those final words, he stepped into the shrinking portal.

Mikey woke up in the alley and immediately jumped up. Grabbing his nunchucks, he leapt into the sewers and ran home.

Leo was pacing in front of the entrance, a worried expression on his face. Mikey barreled into him, burying his head in Leo's neck. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm-"

The elder terrapin hugged him back. "Don't say that, little brother," he murmured into his youngest brother's 'ear'.

"I - I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have disappeared. I should've stayed. I'm sorry," Mikey apologized again.

"Mikey-"

"It wasn't your fault, Leo."

Leo froze, not having expected those words. "I love you, Mikey," he said instead of a defense.

"I love you too..."


End file.
